Peter Hain’s latest thriller is grounded in real-life experience, and endorsed by global conservationists. From South Africa to Zanzibar, from Kenya to Britain, activists are battling to save lion prides, today more threatened by extinction than rhinos and elephants, as a result of illegal wildlife trading. Having thwarted murderous poachers in The Elephant Conspiracy, the Veteran, Thandi and Mkhize are back battling to save lion prides from being killed for their claws, teeth and bones. As the demand for lion parts soars, impoverished local communities are being incentivised to poach, and the fight against this illegal plunder becomes ever more vicious. Struggling to defeat the international criminal syndicate responsible for poaching, the team find themselves embroiled in mafia-style smuggling, illicit night flights, tense shoot-outs, and an encounter with a protégé of Vladimir Putin

‘Hain weaves in past and present, heroes and villains, fiction and fact in a gripping tale of South Africa's state corruption villains and the heroes battling against it’’ Tara O’Connor Director, Africa Risk Consulting. ‘Another fantastic wildlife corruption thriller full of geo-political intrigue and suspense’. Charlie Mayhew, Founder CEO of Tusk

About the Author Peter Hain was born in South Africa. His parents were forced into exile in 1966. He was involved with the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the Anti-Nazi League during the 1970s and ‘80s. Hain was the Labour MP for Neath 1991-2015 and a senior minister for 12 years in Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s governments. He chaired the UN Security Council, and negotiated international Treaties curbing nuclear proliferation and banning the trade in blood diamonds. Hain has written or edited twenty-one books – including Mandela (2010), memoirs Outside In (2012) and most recently Pretoria Boy (2021